环球英语 — 228：Beautiful Minds

Voice 1
Hello and welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Ruby² Jones. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 2
‘Welcome to my mind. My name is John Cadigan. I am an artist with schizophrenia. The world inside my head has no order. It is filled with insecure thoughts, creativity³, fear and desire. It is a world that I struggle in every day. I try to know what is real and what is not.’

Voice 1
Schizophrenia is a complex⁴ mental sickness. John is an artist and film–maker. Through art, John Cadigan is trying to understand his own mind. And then, he is trying to help other people understand it too. This is important. Many people have false ideas and opinions about mental health sufferers like John.

October the tenth is World Mental Health Day. On this day, different groups and individuals work together. They work to support mental health sufferers. And they work to change society’s opinions about sicknesses of the mind. In today’s programme, we share information and stories about mental health issues⁵. The stories come from people who deal with mental health problems every day. They come from people with mental disorders⁷ – and their carers.

The first story is from Laura Axton. Laura is her mother’s carer. Her mother has bipolar disorder⁶. This mental sickness causes intense⁸ moods and emotions. These moods change between different extremes⁹ – such as intense happiness, and intense depression¹⁰. The different moods and energy levels strongly influence sufferers’ behaviour and actions. For example, during a period of depression, a sufferer may not feel like leaving the house or talking to anyone. But during a ‘manic’ period, the sufferer can be very active and busy. People around them may think their behaviour is out of control. These intense moods can create frightening behaviour and strange thoughts. Marina Santee shares Laura’s story. It is written as a kind of journal¹¹ – a record of each day.

Voice 3
‘I think my mother is sick again. She seems extremely¹² happy and full of energy. She seemed to laugh a little too long at that joke. Oh no – she is singing! That means¹³ the depression period will follow. This means more medicine, more watching and waiting for her to feel better!’

‘Wait a minute. I seem to have forgotten something. My mother is human too. She has the right to feel happy – just as I do. Sometimes even ‘normal’ people laugh uncontrollably about something that is not so funny. So why do I find it so hard to deal with her laughing?’

‘I am getting worried. I am waiting for the bad time to come again. I am watching her every mood, her every feeling and her every action. I am waiting for the period of depression to start.’

‘It is a common mistake for the relation or carer to make. We are always waiting for our loved ones to go into a period of depression. This makes us insane¹⁴! It can make us insecure all the time. And my mother stops being my mother. Instead, she is just an event waiting to happen. Carers have a fight everyday. The have to fight to see the person instead of the sickness. Society often sees the sickness not the person. Yet how can we blame other people? We do it in our own homes!’

‘I wanted to tell how difficult it can be to keep the mind open. It is hard when I am trying to protect one of the people I love the most. All I want to do is protect her and her safe. I want to keep her away from that horrible¹⁵ place that comes when she is not well.’

‘After a while I got tired, extremely tired. I was close to not dealing¹⁶ with things at all. And it would be no good with both of us sick. So I changed. I started to laugh and sing with my mother. When she was down and sad, I started to sit with her in silence. And then, finally I understood: This is my mother and I am her daughter.’

‘“Sick person” and “Carer” no longer defined¹⁷ us’.’

Voice 1
Our second story comes from Anthony. Anthony is a young man in his twenties. He also has bipolar disorder. He wrote a poem about the way people see him:

Voice 4
‘I am a name, bipolar, maybe worse.’

‘I am a number
Part two or maybe three.
It depends which doctor you see.’

‘I am a medicine order.
I collect drugs with names that are hard to say.
But still I am to swallow them each day.’

‘I am a fear.
One of those people who hear voices.
The others, the frightening ones.
The ones that should be locked away.’

‘In another time, or another place
Would you make your mark on my brain?
Would you send a shock through my skin?
Would you tie me up in your restraints¹⁸?
Would you throw away the heavy key – and hide your eyes so you do not see?’

‘I am tired.
Not a threat¹⁹.
I hear the quiet talk, laughing at me.
Some real, some I imagine – so I am told.
Never private, never free.
I am my sickness, never me.’

Voice 1
Our final words come from Carla Passino. Her brother, Sam, has the mental sickness schizophrenia. Carla tells how her brother’s sickness made her and her family stronger:

Voice 5
‘Sam’s sickness created worry and sadness in our family. This made us stronger together. We had to organise²⁰ caring for Sam. We had to organise his visits to hospital. We had to work together with a common goal. It sounds strange, but sometimes family members do not communicate with each other – until there is a crisis²¹.’

‘I have learned²² from Sam’s experience. I have seen the difficulty²³ of mental sickness. And this has given me great respect for people who experience it. I like to think I am more patient and accepting now. I do not mean just towards people with mental health problems. But I am more accepting of anyone who is ‘different’ in some way.’

Voice 1
World Mental Health Day is a chance for people to educate themselves – and their communities. It is a chance to listen to the voice that is not always the loudest. It is a chance to recognise the common life that is in us all.

 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 creativity   

n.创造力，创造

参考例句：

• There is limited scope for creativity in my job.我的工作中发挥创造力的空间有限。
• She got an unusually low score for creativity.在创造力方面，她得了异乎寻常的低分。

4 complex   

adj.复杂的，合成的，综合的；n.联合体

参考例句：

• What he said was too complex for me to understand.他说的太复杂了，我无法了解。
• Justice is part of the complex machinery of the law.正义是复杂的法律机器的一部分。

5 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。

6 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

7 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 intense   

adj.认真的，专注的；强烈的；紧张的；热情的

参考例句：

• Susan was an intense young lady.苏珊是一个热情的年轻姑娘。
• The quarrel caused her intense unhappiness.争吵令她极其不快。

9 extremes   

极端( extreme的名词复数 )； 极端政策（或办法、手段、行动、措施等）； 极端不同的感情（或境况、行为方式等）； [常用复数]在两末端的事物

参考例句：

• He could not tolerate the extremes of heat in the desert. 他忍受不住沙漠的酷热。
• It's a difficult place to live because of its climatic extremes. 该地气候极端，很难让人生存。

10 depression   

n.压抑，抑制，沮丧；萧条，衰退

参考例句：

• During a depression money circulates slowly.在商业萧条时期，货币流通滞缓。
• He suffers from acute depression.他患有严重的忧郁症。

11 journal   

n.日志，日记；议事录；日记帐；杂志，定期刊物

参考例句：

• He kept a journal during his visit to Japan.他在访问日本期间坚持记日记。
• He got a job as editor of a trade journal.他找到了一份当商业杂志编辑的工作。

12 extremely   

adv.极其，非常，极度

参考例句：

• The film is extremely good,I just cannot miss it.这部电影太精彩了，我非看不可。
• The old man was extremely difficult to get along with.这个老人极难相与。

13 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

14 insane   

adj.蠢极的，荒唐的，精神错乱的，疯狂的

参考例句：

• Insane people are sometimes dangerous.精神病人有时非常危险。
• The letter made her insane with jealousy.那封信使她妒忌得发疯。

15 horrible   

adj.可怕的，极可憎的，极可厌的

参考例句：

• This is a horrible monster.这是一个可怕的怪物。
• That is a horrible accident.那是一次可怕的事故。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

17 defined   

adj 定义的; 清晰的

参考例句：

• These categories are not well defined. 这些类别划分得不太明确。
• The powers of a judge are defined by law. 法官的权限是由法律规定的。

18 restraints   

n.抑制( restraint的名词复数 )；克制；控制；约束力

参考例句：

• The government has imposed export restraints on some products. 政府对一些产品实行了出口控制。
• Restraints are a necessary part of the nursing of children. 在小儿的护理中有必要使用约束法。 来自辞典例句

19 threat   

n.威胁，恐吓，造成威胁的事物

参考例句：

• Never submit to a threat.永远不要屈服于威胁。
• There was a threat of typhoon.有刮台风的兆头。

20 organise   

vt.组织，安排，筹办

参考例句：

• He has the ability to organise.他很有组织才能。
• It's my job to organise all the ceremonial events.由我来组织所有的仪式。

21 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

22 learned   

adj.有学问的，博学的；learn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
• In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里，他被视为有学问的人。

23 difficulty   

n.困难，费劲；难事，难题；麻烦，困境

参考例句：

• If there is any difficulty,please let us know promptly.倘有困难，请迅速通知我们。
• A little difficulty like this is nothing to us.这点困难算不了什么。